(58) “Those were the prophets whom Allah blessed from among the descendants of Adam, and from among those whom We carried with Noah, and from among the descendants of Abraham and Israel, and from among those whom We guided and chose. Whenever the verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them, they fell down in prostration and weeping.”

After mentioning these honored prophets, the most distinguished of the messengers, together with their virtues and ranks, He said: “Those were the prophets whom Allah blessed.” That is, Allah bestowed upon them an unsurpassed blessing and an incomparable favor: prophethood and messengership. They are those whose path we have been commanded to ask Allah to guide us to: “the path of those whom You have blessed.” Moreover, whoever obeys Allah will be “with those whom Allah has blessed from among the prophets”—to the end of the verse.

Some of them were “from among the descendants of Adam, and from among those whom We carried with Noah”—that is, from his descendants—“and from among the descendants of Abraham and Israel.” These are the finest lineages in the world. Allah selected them, chose them, and elected them. Whenever the verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them—verses containing accounts of unseen matters, the attributes of the All-Knower of the unseen, the Last Day, and the promise and the threat—

“they fell down in prostration and weeping.” That is, they submitted humbly to Allah’s verses and were filled with reverent awe before them. The faith, hope, and fear they stirred within their hearts moved them to weep, turn penitently to Allah, and prostrate themselves before their Lord. They were not among those who, upon hearing Allah’s verses, fell upon them deaf and blind.

The attribution of the verses to His name “the Most Merciful” indicates that His verses are part of His mercy and benevolence toward His servants: through them He guided them to the truth, gave them sight after blindness, rescued them from misguidance, and taught them after ignorance.